Operation Eye Opener
by flubber
Summary: For McWeir ficathon Elizabeth and Rodney are oblivious to their feelings for each other. The rest of the Atlantis gang can see it and hatch a plan to make them see the light.
1. Chapter 1

**Operation Eye Opener.**

A/n : Disclaimer – I don't own any of the characters or settings. I am borrowing them for this fic.

I am sure that I owe someone a nod for the 'Denial' joke but I can't find it anywhere. If anyone recognises it as something they have used please let me know.

References to Belgian detectives and Egyptian rivers are inspired by an Agatha Christie's novel 'Death on the Nile'.

I would like to thank my plot bunnie who goes by the name of Guy Robinson and is my boyfriend. I hope that the scenes come over well. And yes! I did include chocolate! Twice!

The chess set that is referred to in the scene between Radek and Carson, is taken from the story 'The Song of Silent Rivers' by SpecialAgentJim as featured on Please go and read. (It contains a Zelenka/Weir ship). Thank you for allowing me to use it. I hope that the sentiment comes over well!

'O my Luve is Like a Red Red Rose – By Robert Burns. (For full poem please go to – Multiple. (I'm not sure that there will be that many, if any, but this covers my rear end!)

The story takes place somewhere in Season 2 after Trinity.

Rating – T. Just to be sure as there will be some potty language.

This is being written for the McWeir ficathon. Issued by Taurichick.(Beth.) As this is my first foray in to this I hope you like it. (If not then please let me know and I promise that I will say sorry! ;-) )

Summary - Write a humorous and/or fluffy fic where Elizabeth and Rodney are oblivious to their feeling s for each other, but they're really clear to the rest of the Atlantis gang, who hatch a plan to make them see the light. (Do not include SWAMA, slash.)

Dr Heightmeyer was sitting in her office when she got a call from Colonel Sheppard.

"Are you free for a talk?"

Kate sat there, a little bemused. It normally took Dr Weir and some not so veiled threats from Dr Beckett regarding enforced R and R and a very detailed physical to get him to come and see her and now he was coming to see her of his own fee will. This was unusual to say the least.

John burst trough the door, (or at least he would have done if he hadn't had to wait for it to slide open!), and flopped himself on one of the seats in Kate's office.

"Nice of you to drop by. You know I never said that I was free. As it happens I am, so please feel free to tell me you r problem."

John looked at her, his brown eyes blazing.

"Oh, oh. There's something that's got to him." she thought, as she looked at him in silence waiting for him to start.

As she was watching him intently, he shot up from his seat and began to pace the room, rubbing a hand through his hair as he did so. Kate's eyes followed him.

Suddenly he came to a halt in front of her. Turning to face her, he placed both his hands on his desk and rested his weight on them.

"They're driving me crazy.!" he let rip as he looked down on her.

Looking back up at him, she responded, "Who?"

"Dr's Weir and Mckay. That's who!" he almost spat the words out.

Kate had never realised how intimidating the Colonel could be until now. Standing up to her full height, she walked round the desk to stand beside John.

Looking at him she said, "Let's start by taking a seat shall we?"

Gently she led him back to the seat where he had started.

"Now. Why don't we start from the beginning?' she said calmly.

John looked at her in silence for a while.

"I'm sorry Kate. They really drive me crazy. I mean everyone knows that they're in love. I've seen the way she hangs on every word he says at our morning meetings and mission briefings. Same as I've seen the way that he looks at her when she is talking. They're so in love. It's ridiculous!"

Kate wondered where this was going. However she carried on regardless.

"Do you have a problem with them being in love?" she asked, wondering what kind of answer she was going to get.

John looked at her, a bewildered look on his face.

"Ok." thought Kate, "This is going to be harder than I thought."

" Is there any reason for Dr's Mckay and Weir not to be in love? I mean, do you have any reason why they shouldn't be in love?"

As she looked at him, a sudden look of recognition came across his face followed by a slight flush of pink.

"Well I never." she thought, "He's blushing. That's sweet!" she couldn't help smiling.

"Er…no! I have no reason why they shouldn't be together. In fact, it's the exact opposite. I think they look really good together."

Kate pursed her lips and said, " Ok. So what's the problem? If you are happy with them being in love, why are you getting so worked up about it?"

John looked at her as if she should know what he was talking about.

"You know I said everyone knows that they're in love."

Kate nodded. Even she had noticed the looks that the two exchanged during meetings. It wasn't that difficult to work out that they were in love.

"Well that's not quite true. You see there are two people who don't know they're in love."

" Oh!" Kate raised an eyebrow, " And who are they?"

John looked at her, the frustration still evident on his face, " Dr's Weir and Mckay. Now do you see the problem?"

This stopped Kate in her tracks.

"You're kidding right?" She said, a note of incredulity in her voice.

"No! You don't think I would be here doing this of my own free will if I was?"

Kate raised her eyebrows at this comment.

John noticed and said quickly, "It's nothing personal. It's just that I've never been happy talking about myself or my personal life. I feel that it might give out the wrong signal if I came to you an a regular basis."

Kate smiled broadly. She wasn't sure what to make of this. She had never seen John like this before. Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, Atlantis' king of cool and calm looking uncomfortable. This was a turn up for the books.

"I'm sorry John." she continued quietly and calmly, " Am I so scary that you don't want to see me?"

"No. It's just that you manage to get to our inner thoughts. Some of us don't like to share very easily."

" By that he means him. This is going to make asking the next question rather interesting." she thought.

She was about to speak when John continued, " It's so ridiculous. I'm not sure why the hell these two can't see it. I mean he's a self-confessed genius and she's not stupid. So what the hell is going on?"

Kate looked at him, studying his face. She wondered what was going on. She knew that, much to everyone's surprise, Mckay and Sheppard had become friends. But despite this, she still wasn't sure what was happening. She wanted to the to the bottom of this.

" Tell me something," she asked cautiously, " Why does this matter so much?"

John looked at her, considering his answer. He started to answer then hesitated.

" Don't worry. I promise that I won't say anything to anyone." Kate responded.

"Ok." John began, " It's like this. I know that Mckay should be a complete ass at times but he is my best friend. If he didn't stand a chance with Elizabeth, I wouldn't be getting so uptight about it. It's just that, hell, they both deserve to be happy. I can't stand it because they are so obviously in love. I want to do something. I just don't know what."

Kate smiled, " I see. You know, I think you're right. And as everyone already thinks they're in love anyway, its not going to do any harm is it?"

John looked at her and smiled. " You want to help?"

Kate smiled back and replied, " Why not? After all, what helps them helps you, and what helps you helps me right."

John gave her his best 'What do you mean?' look.

This time Kate laughed and said, " You won't be storming in to my office looking like thunder will you!"

As she said this, she raised her eyebrows. John couldn't help smirking at her.

" So what do you have in mind?" he said.

Kate looked at him and said, " I think we have to get a group of like minded people together so that we can think of something. Don't you?"

John nodded and grinned.

Later that evening…

… in a quiet corner of the mess hall, Radek, Carson, Ronon, Teyla, John and Kate sat deep in discussion. Major Lorne came over to join them.

Kate sat with her chin resting on her hands. " The problem is they seem to be in denial."

" Is a river in Egypt." Carson and John said in unison.

Radek groaned and said in response, " Yes and it's dangerous too!"

Everyone looked at him strangely.

"Well people die there and the crimes are investigated by a little French detective."

Major Lorne furrowed his brow, " I thought he was Belgian,"

Carson replied, "Aye, and there was I thinking that the most important thing to come out of Belgium was chocolate."

Ronon looked at Teyla and shrugged. Everyone else burst out laughing.

Seeing Ronon and Teyla's confusion, John said, " Sorry. It's a little bit of cultural humour. I'll explain it to you later."

Teyla raised her eyebrows. As much as she enjoyed living with these people from Earth, there were some things she felt that she would never understand. This thing called humour was one of them.

Kate let our an exasperated sigh, "Come on people. Back to the matter in hand."

Everyone settled down.

"We need a plan of attack." She continued.

"Someone needs to point out to the pair of them, the fact that they love each other" Carson said, "Though I'm completely at a loss as to why they can't see it themselves."

Teyla spoke up, " I could speak to Dr Weir. She has been wanting to speak with me for some time. I assume that I can bring the conversation round to this matter."

Everyone nodded except John.

He shifted uneasily in his seat, "Are you sure your ok with this? I don't want you to get involved in you are not happy about it."

Teyla smiled, "Elizabeth is someone I have come to respect and Rodney is an important member of our team. I have come to see him as a friend. Should they not be happy? After all, as has been clearly shown, they both have feelings for each other. It has become our job to let them know. To that end, I will do anything that I can to achieve our goal which I believe is a noble one."

" Very eloquently put lass." Carson said, giving her a very appreciative smile.

Hearing her say this, John relaxed considerably. " In that case I will talk to Rodney. It's the least I can do. He is my best friend after all."

" We also need to arrange a proper date for them, with a special meal and everything." Major Lorne chipped in.

Ronon looked at them, smiling as he did so," I'm sure we can find a reason for them both being the same place at the same time."

Radek nodded and replied, " Yes. Now would be a good time to make a discovery that would require the attention of both a talented scientist and an accomplished linguist who is able to translate Ancient texts. I can deal with that for you."

At this a smirk crossed his face and he raised his eyebrows behind his glasses.

Kate looked at him, returning the smile and said, " I didn't know you could be so devious."

Radek let a huge grin spread across his face, " I have my moments Kate. It goes to show that you should never underestimate a scientist."

This caused a ripple of giggles to go round the group.

"I think that we should put this plan in to action as soon as possible." As Kate said this she looked around the group.

There was a general nod of consensus.

Major Lorne piped up, "We need a name for this mission. How about Operation Eye Opener?"

John smiled, " So that 's settled. Operation Eye Opener is a go."

The next day…

… in Dr Weir's office. Teyla sat talking to Elizabeth. She had been giving her one of her regular reports on how the Athosian's were doing.

" … So all is well. Elizabeth, do you have time to talk?"

" Yes of course." she responded, " How can I help you?"

Elizabeth lent her head to one side and looked at Teyla.

Teyla looked at her and smiled, " It is more how I can help you."

" I'm intrigued." she said with a wry smile on her face.

" I hope I am not going to offend you, but I feel that I should say something to you!" Teyla said, smiling at her.

Elizabeth said nothing and continued to look at her.

" I have noticed the way you look at Dr Mckay. You have feelings for him?"

This startled Elizabeth. She really wasn't sure where this conversation was going. It was one that she hadn't planned on having with anyone, let alone Teyla.

" I .. I ..ok. I do have feelings for Rodney, Why do you want to know?' she asked, the concern obvious in her voice.

" I believe he has the same feelings for you. I wondered if you realised." Teyla looked her in the eye as she said this.

Elizabeth gave her an incredulous look, " I'm not so sure. I would have noticed."

'Really." Teyla continued, "It is rather strange that we have noticed and you do not seem to have done so."

Elizabeth blushed. Since her split from Simon she had felt her feelings for Rodney grow. But she was afraid to do anything about it. She wasn't sure if he was a rebound, someone to replace Simon. Also, she wasn't sure what Rodney thought of her. The last thing she wanted to do was go after Rodney to discover she'd got it wrong. Rodney had enough on his plate without her making his life any more difficult.

And yet … here was Teyla telling her she had a chance with Rodney. Did she dare to believe it was true? She had to make a choice and she had to do it soon. The trouble was, at the moment, she wasn't sure what choice she wanted to make.

Meanwhile…

… heading towards the lab. John caught up with Rodney.

" Hi there." he said, falling in to step beside him.

"Don't you have another group of new recruits to beat up?" he said tersely.

John thought for a moment, " I'm actually up to date on that and anyway, I've delegated that job to Ronon today."

"Oh. That'll be nice for them." Rodney said sarcastically.

" Yeah. Well, they need to get some backbone!" John said with a smile.

Rodney raised his eyebrows with an exasperated sigh.

"Was there something you wanted or did you just come down here to annoy me?" Rodney asked, the snark coming out in his voice.

" There was something I wanted to speak to you about." John said uneasily.

"Oh and what is so important that you need to bother me at this time?" Rodney replied, still moving towards the nearest transporter.

John decided to be blunt and straight to the point. He really didn't know how else to handle it. After all, it wasn't everyday he had to play Cupid for someone like Rodney, (i.e. too blind to see what was right in front of his nose!)

"Yeah. I want to talk to you about Dr Weir."

Rodney froze in his tracks and turned to face John, " Look, if you want to try for a relationship with Elizabeth you are welcome. It's not like we have a relationship or anything."

John looked at him, totally bewildered. As much as he liked Elizabeth, he had never looked at her that way. Apart from anything else, as she was the head of the Atlantis expedition and he was head of the military for said expedition, any relationship would be frowned upon, (even though she was technically a civilian.) It was also the fact that he had begun to see her as somewhere between a sister and a best friend. Because of this, thought of having a relationship with her was something that made him feel very uncomfortable.

" Er … no. I really am quite happy. Besides which, I think she's already found someone she quite likes." John said, trying not to sound flustered.

" Oh and who would that be?" Rodney said, trying to sound completely disinterested.

" You of course!" Before Rodney could protest, John continued, " Look. We have seen the way she looks at you during our group meetings and our mission briefings. There is something there bud. I really think you have a chance. You just have to pluck up the courage to take it."

Rodney looked at him, dumbfounded, " I …er…I think you must be mistaken, She's not interested in me."

"Hey, why not?" John said, leaving the question hanging in the air.

Rodney stood quietly for a moment. John was right. Why shouldn't she be interested? After all, he was clever. As for the looks department… Whilst he was no John Sheppard, (his hair was better organised for a start!), he had become aware of the fact that since he had begun to go off world, he had been getting fitter! So what was the problem? He just wasn't sure what Elizabeth thought of him. The last thing he wanted was to try for a relationship to discover he had got it wrong. It could make things rather awkward, especially thinking of Elizabeth's position as head of the expedition.

Mind you, he was no stranger to getting it wrong. All the relationships that he had before had all gone wrong. He'd either been rejected before the first date, discovered that the girl he'd been dating had been doing it for a bet, or out of pity. Or, (and this was the one that he hated the most!), he'd had his girlfriend stolen from him by a jock who was jealous of him. Since then, he decided that it was easier to be alone with his science. Up until now that had been the one thing he could be sure of. (Although after Doranda, he wasn't even sure of that anymore!)

Up until know he had been safe, alone in his own world, only having to make contact with people and his science on his own terms. But since he had come to Atlantis things had changed. For one, the man standing in front of him, despite his best efforts, had become his best friend. For another, this man was standing with him, telling him he had a chance of a relationship with the most amazing woman he had ever met. (In fact, there were times when she eclipsed Sam in his eyes. That was saying something!) Could he believe him? This was definitely food for thought.

The next day…

… in Dr Weir's office. The team was waiting for the mission briefing to begin. John had decided to sit on the sofa so he could look at the interactions between Rodney and Elizabeth.

As Elizabeth began to talk, Rodney stared at her intently, a look of longing in his eyes.

Elizabeth looked straight at him and smiled. At this Rodney beamed and, if John wasn't very much mistaken, a little blush of pink came across his face.

John couldn't help smiling either.

" I think they're getting the message." he thought, " Time for phase 2."

Meanwhile…

… sitting in a lab in Atlantis. Radek Zelenka smiled.

Straight after the meeting the night before, Radek had begun to scheme. He had an idea but he knew he couldn't do it on his own and he knew who he wanted to help him. Teyla.

As everyone was leaving, he got hold of Major Lorne.

"Hey Dr Zelenka. What can I do for you?" he said with his usual smile.

" You said that we should organise a meal for them." Major Lorne nodded as Radek continued, " Would you like me to organise that as well as everything else."

The Major looked at him, " We could do this together if you like. Why don't we see if there is anyone left in the kitchen?"

Radek nodded his approval, to this suggestion. " I am very appreciative of your help Major."

"Hey, that's ok. If we can get these two together, it will be worth it." he said with a huge grin on his face.

As it happens, they were in luck. The head Chef was still working on the next day's menu.

As the two men explained what they wanted and why he listened intently.

At the end he said, "Sure. I'd love to help. Let us know when and I'll get something ready for you."

As the two men walked away, he said, " And I'll make sure the dessert contains chocolate!"

Major Lorne called back, "Thanks. That would be great."

The next port of call was Teyla's quarters. On the way, he parted company with the Major.

Looking in Teyla's room, he saw her sitting on her bed, " I'm sorry to disturb you at his time of night."

Teyla looked at him and said, "That is alright. How may I help you?"

Radek stood a little nervously at the door.

" Er.. of course. I'm sorry. I am a little nervous about this. I so want to get it right. It's so hard. Everyone is counting on me to make this work."

Teyla moved towards him and placed a hand on his arm, " I'm sure that you will do well. You are a clever and resourceful man. As you said, we should not underestimate you."

Radek smiled at this. He appreciated the fact that Teyla had faith in him, because right now he wasn't sure he had faith in himself.

Swallowing hard, he said, " I have a plan. To get it to work, I need a small box and a big chest. I know that this is a long shot, but do you have a small table? If possible one that needs some construction."

Teyla thought about it for a while, "Yes. I do believe I can help with the things you are looking for."

Radek looked startled, " Even the table?"

" Yes." Teyla replied. " I brought one over from the mainland. It was easier to bring it back in pieces. I have yet to get it put together. I hope this will be suitable."

She showed it to Radek and he smiled, " That's perfect."

" What are you going to put in the box?" Teyla asked.

"Well I hope to get something in the way of a love poem for them both."

"You are going to use Elizabeth's skills as a translator?" she enquired.

"Oh yes. I have decided to add 'I love you' in Czech at the bottom of the poem. I also thought it would be fun to see if Carson knew how to say ' I love you.' in Gaelic as well"

"Gaelic?" Teyla said, looking confused.

" Yes. Carson comes from a country called Scotland. Gaelic is the native language. He might have some suggestions for the poem to." Radek said thoughtfully.

As he looked around Teyla's room, he noticed the candles that she had. Another idea came to him.

" Would it be possible to have some of your candles? A candlelit dinner would be so romantic."

Teyla looked at him, a warm smile on her face, " Yes. There is something that is rather nice about candlelight. I find it very soothing. It is far better than the lights of Atlantis. They can be so bright, especially at night when I am trying to meditate."

As she said this she walked around the room gathering some of her candles. They were of differing shapes and sizes. When she had got six of them, she brought them to Radek, along with something to light them.

He looked a little concerned.

"Do not worry. I can always get replacements from the mainland."

Radek smiled at her with a sense of relief. He was pleased at the way his plan was going.

"Now I just need to find Carson." he thought to himself.

A little later …

… in the infirmary. Radek was speaking to Dr Beckett.

"Aye lad. I can help you on both accounts. It's just so happens I have a book of poetry by Robert Burns. There's bound to be something in there"

As he reached up to one of the shelves in his office, he looked a little sheepish. " I hid it among my medical texts. A little piece of home you understand."

Radek sighed, " Yes. I know what you mean."

His mind drifted back to the chess set that lay in his room, He had very few possessions that linked him to his home country. Of the few, that was the most precious. He really knew how Carson felt and he hoped this was reflected in the look that he gave him.

Carson said, "Aye and as for the other matter. 'I love you." in Gaelic is 'Ta gra agam ort.'. Here, let me write it down for you."

As Carson handed Radek the piece of paper, he had a thought, "You'd better include a translation of this for her. I mean, I know Elizabeth's a clever lass, but I'm not sure she speaks Gaelic."

"Thank you. Now, about the poem."

Radek and Carson sat down as Carson flicked through the pages of poetry.

Carson's face lit as he stopped at one particular poem, " It has to be this one."

"Radek, Radek. Oh for crying out loud. Radek are you in the land of the living or is it just a nasty rumour?"

Radek peeled his face off his keyboard and looked up to see Rodney standing beside him.

Adjusting his glasses and making a vain attempt to rearrange his hair, he mumbled, " I didn't get much sleep last night."

Rodney looked at him. " Oh. What were you doing? You certainly weren't in here"

Radek swallowed hard, running his tongue around his teeth. As he did so he moved towards the coffee pot.

Looking at it's contents, the thought, " Thank god for that!"

Pouring himself a cup, he felt Rodney's eyes burrowing in to the back of his head. Radek took a huge mouthful of coffee, swallowed and turned round to face Rodney.

Looking at him straight in the eye he said, " I wasn't doing anything in particular. I just wasn't sleeping"

Rodney raised his eyebrows. "So you wasted a whole night not doing anything?"

" I wouldn't say that." thought Radek with a smile.

" You could have come back to the lab you know." Rodney continued.

' Yes. Well, I left the lab because I didn't want to spend the whole night in here. Unlike you I am not a slave to science." Radek replied.

" That's as maybe. And anyway, I am not a slave to science. I spend so much time in here because there is so much to be done."

"And why is that?" Radek asked. Before Rodney could reply he continued, "Because you won't delegate to the rest of us. I sometimes wonder if the only reason you keep us around is to give you someone to shout at!"

As soon as the words had left his mouth, Radek regretted it. He knew that Rodney had an ego the size of a planet, but he had long since realised that there was more to this man. He was driven to do so much because he then would know how things had been done. He had always had the feeling that up until now the only person Rodney Mckay felt he could really trust was Rodney Mckay. Yet, here he was in charge of a team of people and he was expected to be able to trust them to do work for him. For anyone this would be problematic. For Rodney, nigh on impossible.

And yet, as time went on, the armour was slowly being taken apart, piece by piece. And it all started with a certain air force pilot named john Sheppard. He was the first to put a chink in the seemingly impregnable Mckay defences. Then there had been the members of his team. Firstly Aidan and Teyla, now Ronon and Teyla. Even he had managed to get through. (Although, it was an uphill struggle and he sometimes wondered why he bothered.) Now, there was a chance for him to have a relationship with Elizabeth. Radek often wondered what Rodney made of all this. He also wondered if another reason for Rodney spending so much time in the lab was because it was somewhere safe, somewhere where he could still have some control.

"Maybe a little safer for him than out there with the people." he mused.

Radek turned round to see Rodney still standing there in silence.

" I'm sorry Rodney. It's just that sometimes I wish you would let go a little. There is a life to be had out there Rodney. There is a life beyond the lab."

Rodney shrugged his shoulders, " That's easy for you to say. People like you."

He sounded sad and defeated.

Radek walked towards him and placed his hand on his arm, " If you could only accept it there are people here who like you too. And there is someone out there who likes you very much."

Rodney sat down as Radek went and fetched him a coffee.

He began to think about what had happened, about the conversations that he'd had with John and now with Radek. They were both telling him he had a chance with Elizabeth. Then, his mind went back to what had happened in her office this morning, the way she looked at him and smiled. He remembered the way that he felt. It was a wonderful, warm feeling that enveloped him. He even remembered blushing a little and he smiled to himself.

As he sat there he whispered to himself quietly, " Elizabeth."

Meanwhile …

… back in Dr Weir's office. She sat alone in front of her computer.

Her mind drifted back to the conversation she had had with Teyla. She has always had feelings for Rodney, from the first time she met him. Despite the fact that he had an undeniably large ego, there was something about him. He had the most amazing pair of blue eyes. They had captured her attention immediately. But she couldn't do anything. For one, she was still attached to Simon at the time. For another, she felt that she had to prove herself as the leader of the expedition so it would have been inappropriate to pursue the relationship. Now she and Simon were no longer an item. Also, they were in another galaxy. She had noticed that close friendships were beginning to form and in some cases these were developing in to relationships. She knew that she was the expedition leader and she had to set the standard and be able to maintain discipline. But did this mean she should deny herself the happiness and comfort that a relationship should bring. Especially when the person she wanted was waiting for her if she was willing to take the chance.

Also, she thought back to this mornings mission briefing. She remembered the way that Rodney had looked at her. She remembered the intensity of the look and how blue his eyes seemed. She also remembered the way he blushed. She thought that it was really sweet. She found herself wanting to see that again, wanting to know whether she could be part of Rodney's life.

Breathing a heavy sigh she spoke his name, " Rodney."

TBC. 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N : For disclaimers and credits etc please see chapter 1. Thank You.

Later on in the afternoon …

… in the mess hall. At the table in the back, John sat talking to Radek, " The mission is the day after next. So I think we should go for tomorrow night because we may be away for a few nights."

Radek responded, " Alright. Then that will give me enough time to get everything ready. I just hope this works. I will need you to take Teyla across to the mainland in Jumper 1. Don't worry if you have a few problems on the way back. It's a very small act of necessary sabotage. I hope you don't mind."

John didn't quite know what to say to this. So his eyes widened somewhat and he kept silent for a minute trying to marshal his thoughts. There was no way he should condone this. It could be dangerous and yet Radek knew was he was doing. It was all for a good cause right? Still, he really was apprehensive about this.

" Is there any point in me asking what you've done?" John asked nervously.

"No, not really. I want it to come as a surprise. I can assure you though, it isn't anything life threatening." Radek replied with a mischievous grin.

John nodded anxiously, " Right."

" I just hope this is all worth it," he thought to himself, as he heaved a big sigh, " The things I do for Rodney."

The next day …

… the plan was put in to action. Major Lorne gave the kitchens the heads up as to the fact that the plan was happening.

The night before, Radek had taken everything to the place that he had chosen for the tryst to take place. He hoped that this would work. Only time would tell.

During the afternoon Radek gave John and Teyla the nod. With that, he and Teyla prepared for their journey. John was still feeling really uncomfortable about this. He didn't know what was going on and this was what he didn't like. Radek had asked him to trust him. As much as he hated to feel this way, he couldn't help but remember the last time anyone had asked him to do that. He and Rodney had ended up witnessing the destruction of five sixths of a solar system, at Rodney's hand. Although he had managed to put that behind him, he was still uneasy when people asked him to trust them. But for all that, he was inclined to believe Radek. He only wanted to have a convincing reason to be working on a jumper in the bay. So doing in major damage wouldn't be a good thing to do. Even so, the best laid plans of mice and men go wrong!

"Oh great. This is all I need. I hate to fly when I'm nervous. And why the hell am I nervous? I've been through worse."

John began to pace up and down the jumper bay, the sound of his boots echoing as his paced.

John knew that when Teyla arrived there was no turning back. He shouldn't be surprised that he was at this point. After all, operation Eye Opener was his idea. He was beginning to wonder if it was a case of ' It seemed like a good idea at the time.' Of course it was a good idea. It would at least stop him going crazy.

Teyla walked in to the jumper bay. She noticed John pacing up and down.

"Are you alright Colonel Sheppard?" she asked walking over to the jumper.

John swallowed and turned to follower her, " Yeah. I'm fine. Come on then. Let's go get this over with."

He only hoped that he looked a lot happier than he felt.

The journey out to the mainland was very uneventful. Teyla decided to use the unexpected trip to visit friends. John had to admit it was great to get out of the city. He decided to take this time to relax and have a chat with Halling. He didn't want to think about the about the trip back too much.

Later in the evening, Teyla came up to John. " It is time to go back." She saw the look on John's face. " Do not worry. I am sure Dr Zelenka knows what he is doing."

John looked at her and smiled. He knew that she was right. One of the things that he liked about Teyla was the way she could put him at ease with a few words or a look. Right now, this was very welcome.

John smiled back. "Yeah. I know. I have faith in him to!"

Saying goodbye to everyone, they headed towards the jumper.

John turned to Teyla and said, " Look. You'd better get comfortable in your seat and hold on. I have no idea what Radek has done, so this could end up being a bumpy ride."

Teyla looked at him and said, " I understand."

Back on Atlantis …

… in the lab. Radek was looking at some readings on his computer. Right on cue there was an energy spike coming from the far side of Atlantis.

"Rodney, come and look at this." he said as he watched the screen.

Rodney wandered over, a cup of coffee in one hand and power bar in the other.

"Yes. What seems to be the problem?" he asked.

"We are getting a strange energy reading from the far side of the city."

Rodney's brow furrowed. He couldn't think what would cause such a spike, but it was definitely there.

"This is unusual. It deserves an investigation." Rodney looked thoughtful. " Radek, would you go. I'm in the middle of something important. I can't spare the time!"

Normally this kind of attitude would drive Radek crazy. But today this was exactly what he wanted.

"Yes Rodney." he said with his usual air of resignation.

Getting his equipment together, he headed towards the source of the signal.

"So far, so good." thought Radek.

Back on the jumper …

… heading towards the city. Suddenly there was a loud bang from the rear of the jumper. It lurched to the left and John had to struggle hard to get it back on track.

"Wow." thought John, " Radek, I have no idea what you did. But you really did it well!"

" Jumper 1 to Atlantis Command. Come in please." John said, a sense of urgency in his voice.

" This is Atlantis Command. How's it going Colonel?" came the reply.

" I've got a problem. I have no idea what's happened, but it's making my life difficult."

As he spoke, John had to fight to keep the ship flying.

"Are you ok?" A voice came over the comm. It was Elizabeth.

"Yes. We're fine. No medical help required."

"And hopefully it's going to stay that way!" he thought.

Back in the city…

…Radek was walking through the corridors. It was early evening. He hoped John was ok. Maybe this was a little ambitious. But it was too late to worry about it now.

Suddenly there was a message over his comm link.

"Dr Zelenka. We going to need you at the jumper bay. We have a problem."

Radek responded, " Is there anyone else who can go?"

"Dr Zelenka, you have the most experience with the jumpers. From what Colonel Sheppard said it seems quite serious."

Radek looked a little worried, He hadn't meant the problem to be serious. He had better go and see what was going on. At least this hadn't ruined his plan, although he was a little worried he may have damaged the jumper.

"This is Dr Zelenka to Major Lorne."

Major Lorne was standing in the gate room. " Lorne here. What can I do for you?"

" I need you to do your part. I have to go to the jumper bay. I think this part of my plan may have gone a little too well." Radek said, a little worried.

" Don't worry, I'll do it. Will you be able to speak to Dr Weir?" Major Lorne asked.

"Yes, of course. I'll make sure that I speak to her. Let me know when you have spoken to Dr Mckay will you." Radek asked.

"Yes Dr. I have a scanner on me so I will be able to take him to the spot." The Major said.

" Best of luck Major." Radek replied.

" Same to you." he responded.

In the lab…

… Dr Mckay sat at his desk. He was studying his computer screen intently. He didn't notice Major Lorne come in to the lab.

"Dr Mckay, sorry to bother you. Dr Zelenka sent me."

Rodney looked up and looked at him in frustration.

"What on earth can he want? Is he not able to deal with it himself? He knows that I'm busy." Rodney said and he wasn't happy.

"He's really sorry. It's just that there has been a problem with one of the jumpers. He thinks that the problem may be connected to an Ancient device he's found. He wants you to have a look." The Major said.

" Do you know where the signal in coming from?" Rodney sounded intrigued.

"Yes. I will be able to show you the way." Major Lorne responded.

"Alright. Give me a few minutes and I will be with you." Rodney said going back to his computer.

Major Lorne slipped out of the lab. Operating his comm link he said, "Dr Zelenka. This is Major Lorne. Operation Eye Opener is going as planned."

Radek was in the jumper bay having a look at the jumper. " Thank you Major. Would you please carry on. I will speak to Dr Weir."

"This is Dr Zelenka to Dr Weir."

Elizabeth replied, "Dr Weir here. What can I do for you?"

"I know that this is a bit of an imposition, but there is something I could really use your help with. There is some text that I need translating. I believe it is in Ancient and I know that you are the best at translating such texts."

Elizabeth smiled, " Alright. What is this all about?"

" I found a signal in one of the outer reaches of the city. It is connected to an Ancient device. I believe that the text has something to do with it. It is also possible that it may be connected to the problem with the jumper." Radek said, hoping he sounded convincing.

"Alright. Will you be able to show me the way?" she asked him.

"Of course I will Dr Weir. I will be with you in a moment." he replied.

Somewhere in a corridor …

…on the way. Radek and Elizabeth bumped into Major Lorne and Rodney.

Rodney raised his eyebrows and looked at Elizabeth. She looked beautiful. A warm fuzzy feeling came over him. He felt the way that he had felt at the mission briefing. She turned to smile at him. Rodney felt his heart beat faster.

Elizabeth looked at Rodney. He looked so handsome as he walked down the corridor beside her. Her heart skipped a beat. She looked at his eyes and it was as if she was looking in to the bluest sky. She had never felt this way before. Not even with Simon.

They eventually made it to their destination.

" It's through here." Radek pointed in to a room and ushered Rodney and Elizabeth through it. Once they were in the room the door shut behind them. Major Lorne thought it shut.

Rodney and Elizabeth looked around them a little confused. They had no idea what was going on.

Rodney tried to open the door. Nothing happened.

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. " I think there is more to this meets the eye", she thought.

" Dr Zelenka. We can't seem to open the door. Can you do something about it?' she asked.

Radek couldn't help smiling at this. " I will see what I can do."

Rodney had a look around, trying to find the device Radek had been talking about. Walking through to the other room he noticed the chest and the box. He also couldn't help noticing the window that led to a balcony. Resting his hands on the railing, he looked out across the ocean. The sun was beginning to set and the sky and the clouds were tinged with Red. He had never realised how beautiful a sunset could be.

"Rodney. Are you ok?" Elizabeth called out from the room.

"Mmm." Rodney said, " Yes. I'm fine. I'm just watching the sunset. It's beautiful."

Elizabeth walked out and stood beside him. He was right. It was lovely.

How long had it been since she'd stood and watched a sunset? She couldn't remember the last time she had done this. And she especially didn't remember the last time she had done it in company.

At this thought, she lay her hand on Rodney's and squeezed gently. He turned to her, the look on his face one of contentment tinged with surprise. She was happy too.

Eventually, she decided to go back in to the room. The chest and the box intrigued her. As she looked at the box she saw a piece of paper lying on the top. Taking it she began to read. Suddenly she burst in to fits of giggles.

" Rodney. I think that we've been set up." she said.

Rodney walked in and stood beside her as she began to read. " Dear Rodney and Elizabeth, We thought you might like to spend some time alone. To that end we have arranged a meal for you…"

As Rodney listened, he looked in the chest, pulled out the pieces of the table and began to put them together.

" …We hope that you will enjoy your meal and the time that you will spend together. From your friends."

Rodney said, " I wonder who was involved in this? I guarantee that John was part of it. He came to speak to me you know." as he continued putting the table together.

"Teyla came to speak to me. And you can bet that Radek and the Major had a hand in it to!" she continued as she went to look in the chest.

Pulling out a tartan rug, she said, " Looking at this, I would say that Carson was involved as well!"

Rodney looked up as he set the table on to its legs. " What's that for?"

" A table cloth perhaps?" she said, laying it across the table top.

Rodney came to stand beside her as she reached in to the chest and pulled out the candles. Rodney set them on the table. Elizabeth pulled out the candle lighter and set it on the table beside them. Looking round her, she placed the candles around the room, leaving one small one on the table.

As she began to light them, Rodney thought the lights down to a more romantic brightness. Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at this. When she had finished, he looked at her. The light made her face shine and seemed to bring out her beauty in a way that he had never seen before. He felt his heart race as he looked at her.

Elizabeth returned his gaze. The candlelight was reflected in his eyes. He looked more handsome that ever. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to tell him how she felt. How did she feel? Light hearted, warm, content. It had been so long since she had felt like this.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Dr Zelenka, " Dr Weir, are you ready for dinner to be served?"

"Yes. And Radek, you and I are going to have to have a word sometime about Jumper 1 …" she left the sentence unfinished.

Radek swallowed hard. He suspected she was going to give him hell over this, but right now he didn't mind. Thinking of them both together, he decided it had all been worth it.

" Yes Dr Weir. Please let me know when."

As they sat and waited for the meal to be served they began to talk. As they did Elizabeth realised she couldn't imagine life without Rodney. Not just because of what he meant to the expedition, but because of what he meant to her.

Rodney began to realise that he wanted her to be a part of his life. For the first time he had found someone who he wanted to love. Someone who he really believed loved him back. He had never felt so scared. But it felt right.

The meal arrived and was accompanied by a bottle of wine.

" I wonder where that came from?" Rodney said with a smile, as he poured Elizabeth a glass.

" I don't know. You know, I haven't had wine for ages." she said as she took a sip.

As they enjoyed the meal they carried on talking. The more they talked, the more they relaxed. The more they relaxed, the more they realised how much they meant to each other.

When it came to dessert and coffee, Rodney looked at Elizabeth. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, or whether it was the fact that he was beginning to feel at ease with the situation, he wasn't sure. He just had to know, " Why now Elizabeth?"

She looked at him and said, " I've had feelings for you since the first time I met you. But I couldn't do anything about it. Now I can."

"What about Simon?" Rodney asked, apprehensively.

" We're finished. It's over." she replied, " It happened when I went back to Earth. He couldn't wait. Apparently, he found someone else."

" The guy's a moron. He has no idea what's he's given up." Rodney stated, "But then, he's not seen you the way I have."

" What do you mean?" she asked.

" The way that you stood up to Kolya. I never once saw you flinch in front of that man. The way you went back to the Genii to secure those nuclear bombs for us. Throughout everything, you have been a tower of strength. You are amazing!"

" As good as Sam?" she enquired, a wry smile on her face.

" No." Elizabeth tried not to look disappointed, as Rodney continued, " No, because you are better." he said as he took her hand across the table.

She smiled at Rodney. This time it was her turn to blush.

" You have had your moments too," she said, " Such as the time you saved us from the darkness and the time you stood in front of the gun for me. You have helped us time and time again. I don't think we would still be here if it wasn't for you"

" It's nice to know I'm appreciated." he said with a smile.

Elizabeth laughed at this. Then she said quietly, " I'm sorry I shouted at you after what happened on Doranda."

Rodney looked at her in confusion., " I deserved it."

"No. No you didn't. What I really wanted to say was that I was upset because I nearly lost you. I wanted to tell you how much meant to me, how awful I would have felt if you weren't there any more. But I couldn't so I just shouted at you. I'm sorry."

Tears began to well up in her eyes. Taking her hand in his, he squeezed it gently, " Look. I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so arrogant. I shouldn't have taken the risk. But that's behind us. What matters is now and what matters now is us."

Elizabeth looked at him as he reached over and wiped the tears gently from her eyes. She was so in love with this man and there was no way that she could avoid it.

Looking over at the top of the chest, she saw the box sitting on it. " I wonder what's in there?" she said as she got up to fetch it.

Opening it, she found a piece of paper. Slowly she unfolded it. " Oh. It's a poem." she said, as she read it a smiled.

Showing it to Rodney she said, " Would you read it to me?"

Looking at the poem, he said, "This had to be Carson's choice."

Elizabeth said, " Yes. You're right." as she smiled at him.

Rodney began to read, " O my luve's like a red, red rose,

That's newly sprung in June.

O, my luve's like a melodie

That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As Rodney continued reading, Elizabeth sat enthralled.

"And fare thee weel, my only luve,

And fare thee weel a while!

And I will come again, my luve,

Tho' it were ten thousand mile!"

As Rodney finished reading, he looked at Elizabeth. He swallowed hard and said, " I would travel across two galaxies to be with you. I have never felt this way about anyone before and it scares me. I've never been much good at relationships. They've all gone wrong. So this is hard for me. I want this to work, I really do. … It's just that…"

Elizabeth cut him off, " We'll make this work. I really want this to! You have no idea how long I've wanted this. I promise that I will do everything in my power not to hurt you."

With that, she got up from her seat and moved towards Rodney. He in turn moved towards her, the poem still in his hands.

As he did, he noticed the writing at the bottom, " Elizabeth, what does this mean?"

He showed it to Elizabeth. Her eyes lit up. She recognised the first one straight away. It was Czech. The second one she wasn't sure of. However, she noted there was a translation there.

Gently, she eased the paper out of Rodney's hand, " The first one says 'Miluji te.' That's Czech for ' I love you.'"

Rodney smiled, his heart beating faster than it had done before.

She then had a stab at pronouncing the second one, " 'Ta gra agam ort'. This appears to be Gaelic for ' I love you'"

As Elizabeth dropped the poem on the table and slipped her hands round Rodney's waist, he said, " Radek and Carson no doubt!"

"Mmm. Probably," Elizabeth said, as she lay her head on his shoulder. " This is good."

Rodney's heart began to flutter. He had never believed this could happen to him. Especially, with someone like Dr Elizabeth Weir. And yet…here he was. This was real. He gently kissed the top of her head. She smelt wonderful. Rodney lost himself in the moment.

He felt Elizabeth move and pull away a little. Rodney and Elizabeth looked at each other. Moving his hand to the back of her head, Rodney pulled her towards him for their first kiss. As the moment approached Rodney realised he had no idea what he was doing. So instead of kissing her on the lips he gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Oh that's just great." he thought, " I can't even kiss right so how on Earth am I going to cope with the rest of the relationship?"

There was a part of Rodney's mind that was telling him to run. When is came to relationships he was a novice. Maybe the universe was trying to tell him something. Maybe the universe was trying to tell him he would always be single. He was beginning to panic.

Sensing his discomfort, Elizabeth decided to take charge of the situation. " Don't worry Rodney. Everything's going to be ok. Let's try that again shall we?"

This time she was in control. Placing her hand at the nape of his neck, she leaned towards him. Gently she let her lips brush his. Rodney let out an involuntary gasp. This was beyond his wildest dreams, (and he had had a few of those, mostly about Sam!) As he gradually came to his senses, he began to respond to the touch of her lips on his. Hesitantly at first, then as he relaxed more and more passionately. As they kissed, Rodney felt Elizabeth run her fingers through his hair. It was a lovely sensation that he had never experienced before. He loved the taste of her lips and the softness of their feel on his. He revelled in the feeling of her fingers, as she ran them through the hair on the back of his head.

Elizabeth lost herself in the moment as well. The feeling of contact with another human being was something that she had missed so much. Being held was something that she wanted, needed. Rodney's lips felt so soft against hers. She loved the feeling of his hair beneath her fingers. This moment was everything she had hoped for and more.

Rodney was the first to break the kiss.

"That was wonderful." he said, a look of blissful contentment on his face. He never believed that he could be so happy.

Elizabeth returned his smile. She was beaming. " Thank you. It was rather good wasn't it."

Rodney led Elizabeth on to the balcony. It was bathed in moonlight. Putting his arm round her shoulders, he gently pulled her towards him. She responded to this by putting her arm around his waist. Looking out across the ocean, they stood in silence.

Later on …

… in Rodney's quarters. He and Elizabeth lay together responding to a need to hold and to be held by someone. They revelled in the warmth of each other's bodies as they lay together on his bed

Elizabeth ran her hand across his chest dreamily, " I love you Doctor Rodney Mckay."

Rodney ran his hand through her hair, as her head lay against his shoulder, " I love you too Doctor Elizabeth Weir."

He smiled as they both drifted in to a restful sleep.

TBC – for Epilogue.


	3. Chapter 3 Epilogue

A/N : For disclaimers and credits etc please see chapter 1. Thank You.

Epilogue.

The next day …

… in Elizabeth's office. John sat talking to her. He noticed that she seemed more relaxed that he had seen in months.

Rodney walked in, a jacket draped over his arm. John couldn't help noticing that there was an American flag on it.

Looking at John, he said, " Good morning Colonel."

Looking up, John saw that Rodney was more relaxed than he had ever seen.

" Good morning Rodney." he replied with a grin.

Rodney turned to Elizabeth, " Good morning Elizabeth. I believe you have something of mine."

She looked at him and smiled, " I do? And what would that be?"

"You have my jacket I believe." Rodney said, as he lifted the jacket from his arm, " And as much as I would like to leave you with my jacket. I think I would look rather silly trying to wear yours."

Elizabeth giggled at this, " Mmm. I see what you mean. I promise I'll be more careful next time!"

Rodney raised his eyebrows at this and said, with a huge grin, " There will be a next time?"

Returning the smile, Elizabeth said, " I hope so."

As Rodney moved towards the desk, John thought he had better make a discreet exit.

" I'll come back later." he said.

As he walked away from Elizabeth's office he thought, " Operation Eye Opener has been a complete success."

He couldn't wait to tell everyone.

THE END.


End file.
